Padang, Singapore

The Padang
An aerial view of Singapore, showing the Padang on the right, surrounded by Parliament House building, new and old Supreme Court Buildings and Swissôtel The Stamford.
Type	playing field
Location	Connaught Drive, Singapore 179861
Coordinates	1°17′26″N103°51′11″E / 1.29056°N 103.85306°E / 1.29056; 103.85306
Governing body	National Heritage Board
National monument of Singapore
Designated	9 August 2022;3 years ago (2022-08-09)
Reference no.	75
Location of The Padang in Singapore

The Padang (Malay for 'field'), formerly known as The Plain and The Esplanade, is an open playing field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore. It includes the Padang Cricket Ground.

Background

The Padang is surrounded by several important landmarks, which include Saint Andrew's Cathedral, City Hall, the Old Supreme Court Building and the City Hall MRT station.

From the 1830s to the early 20th century, the Padang was known as the Esplanade. ^[1]

History

As the only open plain in the area, the Padang was chosen by William Farquhar as the location of the British encampment in Singapore on 28 January 1819. ^[1]

The Padang was used as a public recreational space since at least the 1830s. For most of its existence, it was used as pitch for cricket, football and rugby matches. ^{[1] [2]} In 1852, the Singapore Cricket Club was formed and a clubhouse built on the western edge of the Padang. ^[1] In 1884, the Singapore Recreation Club erected its clubhouse on the opposite end of the green. ^[2]

In 1887, to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, a bronze statue of Sir Stamford Raffles was erected in the centre of the Padang. It was later removed in 1919 by the Municipal Council to outside Victoria Memorial Hall, where it currently stands. ^[3]

During the Second World War, the Japanese used the Padang as a gathering point for European and Eurasians before they were marched to internment camps on the island. Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army held their parades there in June 1945. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Due to its prime location and historical significance, it has been used as a venue for a variety of events. It was the first host of the Singapore National Day parade (NDP), and has hosted it on a regular cycle (every three years from 1984 to 1994, every five years since) and during years that mark national milestones (such as the bicentennial of modern Singapore in 2019). From 2023 through 2025, it will host the parade due to the reconstruction of its designated main venue The Float @ Marina Bay as NS Square. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

On 4 November 2018, the Padang hosted the live finals of the Mandopop reality music competition SPOP Sing! . ^[10]

On 3 August 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced that the Padang will be gazetted as a National Monument along with the Anderson Bridge, Cavenagh Bridge and the Elgin Bridge (collectively known as the Singapore River Bridges), ^{[11] [12]} due to the historical significance - these include the World War II surrender in 1945, National Day Parade and the signing of the country's formation in the British colony and self-independence. The Preservation of Monuments (Amendment) Act will allow open spaces or the whole of the area to be gazetted as national monuments, such as Fort Siloso and Padang. ^{[13] [14]}

On 8 August 2022, it was announced that the Padang would be gazetted as the nation's 75th national monument on 9 August, the 57th anniversary of the Republic's independence. ^{[15] [16]}

Gallery

• 
  Aerial panorama of Singapore's Downtown Core
• 
  A football match at the Padang set against the Singapore skyline.
• 
  Old Supreme Court Building with the Padang, the New Supreme Court Building shown in the background.
• 
  Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP) 2023 at the Padang.

See also

• INA at Padang

References

• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004), Toponymics – A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern University Press, ISBN   981-210-364-3

1. Tan, Kevin (April 2022). "A History of The Padang". BiblioAsia. Archived from the original on 20 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
2. Kien, Lai Chee (April 2022). "The Padang: Centrepiece of Colonial Design". BiblioAsia. Archived from the original on 20 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
3. Tan, Bonny (July 2020). "Statue of Stamford Raffles". NLB. Archived from the original on 20 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
4. Lebra, Joyce C., Jungle Alliance: Japan and the Indian National Army, Singapore, Asia Pacific Library
5. Borra R. Subhash Chandra Bose. Journal of Historical Review, 3, no. 4 (Winter 1982), pp. 407-439
6. Henderson, J. (2007). Remembering the Second World War in Singapore: Wartime Heritage as a Visitor Attraction. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 2(1), 36-52.
7. Lee Xin En (6 March 2015). "National Day Parade: 10 interesting facts of parades of the past". The Straits Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
8. Lim, Min Zhang (9 August 2019). "NDP 2019: 27,000 turn up at the Padang for Singapore's bicentennial birthday bash". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 9 December 2021.
9. Zachariah, Natasha Ann (29 September 2023). "National Day Parade to be held at the Padang in 2024 and 2025". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 5 May 2024.
10. "SPOP Sing! Prelude GRAND FINALS @PADANG". toggle.sg. 4 November 2018. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
11. "Singapore River Bridges and the Padang to be gazetted as National Monuments" (PDF). NHB. 3 August 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
12. "Padang, Singapore River Bridges to be gazetted as national monuments". CNA. 3 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
13. "Singapore River Bridges gazetted as Singapore's 73rd National Monument" (PDF). NHB. 15 October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
14. Ang, Prisca (15 October 2019). "Another $15 million in restoration funds for owners of national monuments". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
15. Ng Keng Gene (8 August 2022). "Padang to be gazetted as national monument on National Day". AsiaOne . Archived from the original on 8 August 2022.
16. "The Padang". National Heritage Board. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.